KCAB INTERNATIONAL is pleased to announce the launch of its Women’s Interest Committee (“WIC”). Composed of 15 members, the Women’s Interest Committee will serve as the focal point for planning and organizing various diversity-themed activities to be hosted by KCAB INTERNATIONAL in the coming years.
As the inaugural event marking the beginnings of the committee’s activities, a webinar co-hosted by Kim & Chang, Herbert Smith Freehills and the KCAB Women’s Interest Committee titled "What is the Future for Women in Arbitration?" was held on 3 November 2021 as a part of Seoul ADR Festival 2021. In this webinar, participants coming from diverse backgrounds took part in interactive sessions which were moderated by members of the WIC, where they discussed various challenges and issues that women professionals face in the field.
The WIC is led by Chair Una Cho (Kim & Chang), Vice-Chairs Myung-Ahn Kim (Yoon & Yang) and Jeonghye Sophie Ahn (Yulchon) together with Rapporteur Dana Kim (Herbert Smith Freehills). The other steering committee members are (in alphabetical order): Ara Cho (Peter & Kim), Hangil Lee (Bae, Kim & Lee), Hye Sung Kim (Kim & Chang), Hyun Ah Park (Yulchon), Inyoung Cho (Yonsei University), Ja Young Kim (Shin & Kim), Jinhee Kim (Jipyong), Kyongwha Chung (Covington & Burling), Liz (Kyo-Hwa) Chung (Netflix), Sae Youn Kim (Kim & Chang), Seungmin Lee (Peter & Kim), Sun Young Kim (Lee & Ko), and Sungjean Seo (Kim & Chang).
Una Cho (Kim & Chang, Chair of WIC) commented that “It is a great pleasure to join the KCAB Women’s Interest Committee. I hope that it can play a key role in bringing together all arbitration practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The Committee will endeavor to create an open forum where all of us can feel connected and free to discuss problems and share innovative solutions for the betterment of the field and individual achievement regardless of gender, age, nationality, or geographical location.”
Sue Hyun Lim (Secretary General, KCAB INTERNATIONAL) stated, “Korea has been home to an immense pool of professional talents in the field of international arbitration, and many of them are women. Launching a group like the KCAB Women’s Interest Committee was something that many people had waited for, and long overdue considering that Korea has been one of the most active arbitration jurisdictions for many years. In that regard I have great confidence that the WIC will contribute even further to the growth of international arbitration in this region.”